Three so-called manuals of government administration, all written between 1726 and 1731, are the main source for the study of the structure of the royal court and central government of Safavid Iran. The “Tadhkerat al-Moluk,” published in 1943, has served for decades as the pars pro toto, because the other two manuals had not been published in Persian. The publication of the “Dastur al-Moluk” in 1967 added much to our knowledge. Although it contains much of the same information as the “Tadhkerat al-Moluk,” it also differs in many respects from the latter. Not only does it add significant information to offices already known, but also offers new information on little-known but important court officials and central government bureaucrats. The Persian text of the “Dastur al-Moluk” is not easy to understand, not only because of its complex language, but also because it is unintelligible without adequate knowledge of the government functions as well as the many technical, fiscal, and bureaucratic terms described in it. To aid the reader in understanding this text, an extensive commentary is provided alongside explanations of the various government functions and other terms.

Mohammad H. Faghfoory

Formerly professor of history at the University of Tehran in Iran, Mohammad H. Faghfoory received his education at the University of Tehran, the University of Illinois-Urbana, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of California-Los Angeles, Islamic Manuscripts Specialist at Princeton University and at the Library of Congress, an adjunct professor of Middle East History at Mary-Washington University in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Currently he is professor of Islamic studies at the George Washington University in Washington D.C. His latest publications include a translation from Persian-Arabic of “Tuhfah-ye 'Abba si : A 17th- Century Text on Sufism,” by Shaykh Muhammad 'Ali Mu'adhdhin Khorasani, and “The First Dutch-Persian Commercial Conflict: The Attack on Qeshm Island 1640,” in collaboration with Dr. Willem Floor.

CHAPTER 4 On Officials, Who Are Not moqarrab al-khaqan and moqarrab al-hazrat 65

CHAPTER 5 On Those Officials Who are moqarrab al-hazrat 80

CHAPTER 6 On the Duties of the Heads of the Royal Secretariat and so forth [such as] Divisional Chiefs, Viziers, and the Like 99 CHAPTER 7 The Function and Fees of the Secretaries of the Royal Secretariat 130

COMMENTARY

Commentary I The ishik aghasi-bashi-ye divan-e a‘la or the Master of Ceremonies of the Royal Court 140 Commentary II The ishik aghasi-bashi of the Haram 171 Commentary III Leading Functions Held by Eunuchs 175 Commentary IV The Master of the Royal Hunt (amir shekar-bashi) 185 Commentary V The Studs and Stables 199 Commentary VI The nazer-e boyutat, the High Steward of the Royal Court 210 Commentary VII Medical, Astrological, Esthetical and Bodily Care 241 Commentary VIII The Mint (Dar al-Zarb) 247 Commentary IX The Palace Food Complex 255 Commentary X Library and Painting Departments 275 Commentary XI The Carpet Spreading and Tent-pitching Department (farrash-khanah) 299 Commentary XII The Music and Dance Department 308 Index 329